Christmas in Hong Kong
Trip Start
Mar 16, 2004
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48
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Trip End
Apr 02, 2005
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Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Saturday, December 25, 2004
When Mark and I entered Hong Kong Airport on the afternoon of December 25, we were greeted by Santa and Mrs. Claus! (Side note: We would have entered Hong Kong Airport on the morning of December 25, except that the pocket knife, cork screw, and pliers tragically forgotten in Mark's backpack caused us to miss our plane. Luckily, unlike me, Mark's travel agent was working on Christmas Day and scrambled to book us a later flight, despite the airline's insistence that there was no way we'd get to Hong Kong that day, which caused me to exclaim in utter despair, "Christmas is ruined!" But thanks to Wendy, Christmas was not ruined, and we were reminded of this later that day when were greeted in Hong Kong Airport by Santa and Mrs. Claus.)
The Christmas spirit in Hong Kong was impressive to say the least. It felt like the city had been under the influence of a foreign, Christian, power for the past century or so. Not only were there Christmas decorations everywhere, little Chinese kids were running around singing "Jingle Bells." Those who didn't speak English, greeted us with "Seng dan fai lo!," or "Merry Christmas" in Cantonese.
Well, Mark and I only had about a day and a half in Hong Kong, but we made the most of it. Our hotel was in Kowloon, in the North of the city, in a popular shopping district called Mongkok, though our first adventure was taking the subway down to the center of town to Hong Kong Island. In the middle of Hong Kong Island, I felt like I was in Rockefeller Center. Shiny, new skyscrapers, grand plazas, big-name stores. Not to mention a giant, lit-up Christmas tree that dominated the downtown scene.
Next, we moseyed over to the trendy bar/café/restaurant part of town, called SoHo. SoHo, is inconveniently located on the side of a steep hill, which jolly revelers and café-goers would have to trudge up and down were it not for the largest, outdoor escalator in the world, built to help jolly revelers and café-goers glide up and down SoHo with ease. As Mark and I glided through SoHo with ease, we felt like we had suddenly gone from Manhattan to Paris, as small streets, cozy locales, and European faces dominated the scenery. It was there that we met two friendly couples from Switzerland and Britain, who invited us to join them in their favorite bar where they enthusiastically kept us company for the remainder of the evening, only giving us a break for Christmas dinner, which consisted of delicious duck and lamb at a nearby Thai restaurant. In fact, the couples were so friendly, that I wondered if they were not going to kidnap us and sell us into sex slavery. Lucky for us, no kidnapping ensued, and we had a lovely evening chatting with Jürg, Brigett, Claire, and Gavin, who told us all about the many fun places we must go and see in their city, though, unfortunately, we didn't have time to go and see any of them.
Mark and I called it a night around midnight so we could venture out early the next morning. When we left our hotel on Sunday, we were unmistakably in China. Noodle stands on every corner, Chinese signs jutting out over dusty streets and gritty, no-frills buildings. We headed for the markets that pepper this part of town. Specifically, we hit the Ladies market, where one can buy clothes, music, DVDs, and traditional Chinese paraphernalia at dirt-cheap prices, and the goldfish market, where one can buy all sorts of tropical fish and fish care products. The best part about the markets is the haggling, and I got some stellar deals on worthless key chains and tacky wall decorations.
In the afternoon, Mark and I headed to the southern tip of Kowloon, where we sauntered down the Walk Of Stars, admiring breathtaking views of Hong Kong Harbor and the handprints of celebrities like Jet Li, Jacky Chan, Chow Yun-Fat and Bruce Lee. From the Walk of Stars, we took the Star Ferry across the water to Hong Kong Island, where we had just enough time to take the Peak Tram up to the most famous lookout point over the city. From the pictures, you will see that the view is spectacular.
Besides the Christmas cheer, there were many things about Hong Kong that really impressed me. First of all, it was the first time that I had ever experienced people driving on the wrong side of the road. (See comment earlier about enduring British influence.) I also had to chuckle at the automated voice on the subway that said, "Please staand cleah of the dooahs."
Secondly, it is a city of endless shopping malls, and tourists are sneakily routed through them on their way to tourist attractions.
Third of all, Hong Kong appeared to me to be a vibrant mix of East and West. And unlike Taipei, where most of the foreigners are English teachers from English-speaking countries, Hong Kong's foreigners are business people from all over God's creation. It is an exciting city with a dazzling combination of local charm and international spice.
Now, back in Taipei, I feel a passionate desire to return to Hong Kong. While I am not quite sure when that will happen, you can be quite sure that you'll hear about it when it does.
